Noctus
Noctus is a zoroark, and the elder brother of Nectar. He inherited several quirks as a result of his Ninetales father - the retention of his tail even while fully evolved is the most obviously prominent of the bunch, but he was also hatched knowing the Typed-moves Extrasensory and Flamethrower. While his sister was still an egg, his mother and many other local pokémon were captured by an unknown group of poachers for the purposes of financial exploitation; an event that has shaped much of Noctus' future life and decisions. The Poachers Strike! Before this day, Noctus had enjoyed a peaceful and loving life that any little zorua would have been envious of, playing with his young friends under the caring and watchful eyes of his mother. As they had dwelled in a quiet forest in an unspecified Region, unhassled by the occasional Trainers who had passed through on the way to greater destinations, when the poachers first entered the woods, their presence did not immediately raise any alarm. By the time the men revealed their full colors - that these were no Trainers, but brutal monsters with little more than the pursuit of money on their minds - it was too late for the forest's denizens. Out of desperation, Noctus's mother tried to hide herself, her children and the other pokémon of the forest behind a veil of illusion, in the hopes that the humans would think the woods barren of life. However, such could not fool the sharp noses of the mens' houndoom pack, and Flamethrowers were unleased from all directions, causing screams and squeals of pain to erupt from the assorted younglings. One of the canines caught a playmate of the little zorua in its powerful jaws as they tried to flee from the onslaught of Attacks, and as it glowered at the terrified assemblage of 'mon with its prey, crunching its teeth against their neck, something snapped ''inside of Noctus' mother. Before he knew what had happened, complete chaos broke out - human screams, pokémon roars, and the blood of both pooling as one amid the pine needles. Young Noctus had never seen such viciousness and intent to kill within his mother's eyes, and it had terrified him. ''Who were these people? Why were they attacking them? But for all of his mother's savagery, she was only able to take down six of the eighteen houndoom (and maiming several humans) before the pokémon of the forest were themselves taken down by the opposing forces. The poachers didn't bother with pokéballs - more hassle than they're worth when one doesn't intend to keep the 'mon themselves - instead, they simply herded their victims into iron cages, one by one. Noctus's mother used all her remaining energy, as the men approached her beaten and broken body, to wrap her son and her unhatched egg in one last illusion. "Is that all of them?" '' ''"Yeah, I think so. Even if it's not, 'they're' gonna be real happy with all of these!" '' ''"Heh, you said it. Think they'll pay more than usual for this bunch?" The human voices a harsh buzz about his ears, Noctus focused on his mother's fading smile as she was lifted by the neck and hauled towards a cage, watching unseen as she was locked behind the cold bars. The terrible prisons were loaded into a truck and hauled away; as the stink of diesel dissipated, so too did the protective illusion. Noctus was left alone and traumatized with his sister's egg wrapped in his paws, surrounded by spatters of blood and scraps of fur. The only trace of his mother that remained was a Life Orb she'd kept as a personal treasure; this would later be utilized by her son as a mane bead when he evolved. Later History Noctus did his best to care for his little sister Nectar when her egg hatched, but his primary preoccupation, always in the back of his mind, was revenge. ''Once Nectar was old enough to survive independently, he decided to bring his thoughts closer to reality, and formed a 'team' with a group of friends that he'd made since the incident, with the intent to one day become strong enough to take down the humans that had stolen away his friends and family. He forced himself to be patient and bide his time; testing his strength and that of his companions through offering assistance to any pokémon they met who seemed to need such. Friends came and friends went over the course of the years, and so the makeup of the little travelling group was seldom consistent for very long - but the companions who stuck with Noctus the longest were an arcanine, whom had been the first to decide to partner with him, a floatzel, and a weavile. Eventually, however, mere errand-running had to shift to serious stakes, when the quartet - all that remained of the 'team' by this point - came across a warehouse owned by the Pokémon League, where pokémon they'd purchased (often from dubious sources, such as poachers) were kept and accessed before being shipped off to groups such as Francesa's for Training. Overcome by memories, Noctus led the charge as the four attempted to infiltrate the warehouse - but the mission was one that was doomed to failure. Not a single pokémon was freed, one of the party was killed, and the three that survived endured numerous injuries. Noctus and his remaining companions managed to escape, dealing heavy damage to the structure on their way out, but it was not nearly enough of a tradeoff to have been 'worth' their dear friend's sacrifice. Overcome with emotion, arguments broke out frequently among the friends over the course of the next few days, which ultimately cumulated in them all deciding that the time had come for them to go their separate ways. The truth of their situation - that they were in far over their heads and that this enemy was infinitely more powerful than they were - had settled in; the loss of their companion a traumatizing reality check that stole all dreams of idealism with it. A wandering loner now, Noctus decided to turn his focus on an...''alternate method of acquiring strength, that might finally allow him the level of power he wishes for. With only the half-forgotten old stories of his childhood as directions, the zoroark started to follow the fairy highways, visiting various Nexus Points in search of incredible magical artifacts and trinkets of either ethereal or otherworldly origin. By virtue of both his species and his years of training, he was very good at slipping amid standing stones, plundering pyramids, and moving through mounds, easing through cracks and crevices with slippery stealth to find those deepest catacombs where humans hadn't walked for hundreds - or in some cases, thousands - of years. Noctus earned himself a few fairy curses for his intrusive troubles (which was preferable to the alternative fate, which would have been simply getting eaten ''by them), but these didn't deter him from continuing to seek still more artifacts. The reason these objects are so priceless to him, and why he considers them worth risking his life for, is because his wish to attain abilities and powers that zoroark aren't usually capable of obtaining is ''just that powerful within him. If such is necessary to become stronger, Noctus is more than willing to dabble with dark magics to acquire this strength, despite the drawbacks. He would do anything to make sure that he is strong enough to prevent losing another dear to him ever again. Noctus' Dark Magic Aside from the effects of his fairy curses, Noctus has gained access to a formidable brand of blood magic, via an otherworldly talisman that he looted from a Nexus Point tomb. His use of such unnatural sorcery takes a toll on his body, but it is incredibly powerful and has much utility. Noctus also likes to use and practice enhancement magic by equipping various of his treasures, so that he can extend the reach of his attacks, or make himself temporarily more durable, or any number of such things. This also wears out his body, and isn't in the least bit good for his health. Alongside these two most commonly practiced fields of magic he uses, Noctus also has an ace up his sleeve; a sort of last resort. He can untap his limits and fully use his power, vastly increasing his size, strength and abilities. As incredibly overpowered as this form is, it is also incredibly wild and very difficult for him to control. He has nowhere near mastered the beast within, and when he is ''forced to turn to this last resort of his, it usually results in devastation and waste that can stretch for miles. While Noctus can utilise this skill whenever he desires, he virtually never does, for obvious reasons. He has only turned to this strength a few times. He also has access to a Mega form, having found an otherworldly stone during one of his many excursions that allows his species to enter that enhanced state, although this, too, is a potential that he rarely chooses to make use of. Noctus Today Noctus still explores from time to time - Firelight is ''itself a Nexus Point, after all, and the caves potentially hold treasure and secrets aplenty - but his roaming days are mostly behind him, for the now. He is content to spend his time around the folks, friends and family that he has established connections with since his arrival to the Hedgelands, all while still trying to convince himself that his darker arts are for the good of everyone. Category:Limbo